Pontiac Vibe, representative photo
Representative model. Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2009 Pontiac Vibe recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2009 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns
9
Park-it warnings
0
Complaints
528
Latest campaign
Jan 9, 2018

Recall summary by component9

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
ComponentCampaignsLatestCampaign IDs
Air bags4Jan 9, 2018
Visibility2Oct 22, 2015
Vehicle speed control2Jan 27, 2010
Service brakes, hydraulic1Aug 31, 2009

Safety recalls9

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h
0Park-it warnings
0Fixable over the air
Jan 9, 2018Latest campaign
Jan 9, 201818V024000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 18V024000
What's wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP (Saipan), and the U.S. VI or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, ES350, IS-F, GX460, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2009 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350, IS-F, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
Campaign
NHTSA 18V024000 · Jan 9, 2018
Jan 9, 201717V006000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 17V006000
What's wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
Campaign
NHTSA 17V006000 · Jan 9, 2017
May 23, 201616V340000

Air bags: frontal passenger side

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

DetailsHide details for campaign 16V340000
What's wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).
Campaign
NHTSA 16V340000 · May 23, 2016
Oct 22, 201515V689000

Visibility: power window devices and controls

If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may…

DetailsHide details for campaign 15V689000
What's wrong
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Risk
If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.
Campaign
NHTSA 15V689000 · Oct 22, 2015
Apr 9, 201414V168000

Air bags: frontal driver side

If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated.

DetailsHide details for campaign 14V168000
What's wrong
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Due to the shape and location of the FFC's retainer, the FFC could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.
Risk
If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.
Remedy
Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac Vibe owners an Interim letter on June 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General Motors sent notices to the Pontiac Vibe owners on September 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.
Campaign
NHTSA 14V168000 · Apr 9, 2014
Oct 10, 201212V491000

Visibility: power window devices and controls

If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.

DetailsHide details for campaign 12V491000
What's wrong
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.
Risk
If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.
Remedy
Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge. Toyota owners that experience a problem with a switch should not attempt to make repairs, but should contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331. General Motors will contact the Pontiac Vibe owners affected by this recall and GM dealers will inspect and repair switches as necessary. Those owners may contact Pontiac Customer Care at 1-800-762-2737.
Campaign
NHTSA 12V491000 · Oct 10, 2012
To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Buying a used 2009 Pontiac Vibe? Recalls cover the model; a history report checks one car's title, odometer and accident records. VinAudit history report → Sponsored · disclosure

Owner complaints by component528

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h
528Complaints filed
23Involving a crash
2Involving a fire
10Injuries reported
ComponentShareComplaints%CrashesFiresInjuries
Air bags35267607
Vehicle speed control58111304
Steering357000
Engine295100
Service brakes234100
Electrical system183121
Power train132101
Hydraulic132100
Unknown or other92000
Electronic stability control (ESC)92000
Engine and engine cooling82000
Visibility71100
Suspension61000
Wheels61000
Visibility/wiper61010

12 more components with fewer complaints not shown. An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

  • Power train

    “The contact owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. While driving 20 MPH, the transmission was shifting rough before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle continued driving but at a reduced power.”

    Filed 10/07/2026 · ODI 11769567
  • Engine

    “What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?”

    Filed 02/04/2025 · ODI 11640704
  • Steering

    “The contact called on behalf of her sister who owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The contact stated that while her sister was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal noise and the steering wheel was…”

    Filed 10/04/2024 · ODI 11618100

Other Pontiac Vibe model years

Other Pontiac models

2009 Pontiac Vibe recall questions

How many recalls does the 2009 Pontiac Vibe have?

NHTSA lists 9 safety recall campaigns for the 2009 Pontiac Vibe. The most recent, 18V024000 (reported January 9, 2018), concerns air bags. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2009 Pontiac Vibe recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 4 campaigns. Others: visibility (2), vehicle speed control (2), service brakes, hydraulic (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2009 Pontiac Vibe?

Air bags is the most-reported component, named in 352 complaints out of 528 filed with NHTSA (67%). Across all complaints, owners reported 23 crashs and 2 fires. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2009 Pontiac Vibe?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.

Check a specific Pontiac by VIN

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